Herod the Great

Herod "the Great" of Judea (74 BC-4 BC) was the King of Judea from 37 BC to 4 BC. He succeeded Antigonus II of Judea and preceded Philip the Tetrarch; he was known to be a madman, murdering rabbis and his own family.

Biography
Herod was the son of Antipater the Idumaean and Cypros, and he was made Governor of Galilee in 49 BC at the age of 25. The Sanhedrin (council of 23 politicians) condemned his brutality, and in 39 BC Antigonus took over control of the kingdom. Herod pleaded for Roman support, so he took over Judea from Antigonus after a 37 BC siege of Jerusalem and Herod was made the Roman vassal king of the region. Herod supported Mark Antony in his power struggles against Octavian, but lost the wars. Despite this, he maintained control over his kingdom by maintaining a secret police, and he brutally murdered dissidents. He was opposed by both Pharisees and Sadducees, as he elected Assyrian and Babylonian Jews to become rabbis rather than choosing national Jews. He died in 4 BC.